Quick Answer: What Are Chinese Buddhist Repentance Rituals?
Chinese Buddhist repentance rites (忏法, chànfǎ) are liturgies centered on acknowledging harmful actions, expressing remorse and renewing commitments. Repentance (忏悔, chànhuǐ) can be voiced through readings and accompanied by bows or prostrations.[1][5]
- Liang Emperor’s Repentance (梁皇宝忏, Liánghuáng Bǎochàn): A widely known liturgy traditionally associated with Emperor Wu of Liang.[1][2]
- Compassionate Water Repentance (慈悲水忏法, Cíbēi Shuǐchàn Fǎ): A distinct text traditionally connected with the monk Zhixuan.[1][2]
- Communal practice: Monastics may lead an assembly or perform a liturgy on behalf of others.[1]
A temple may use one of several manuals. The title on the notice or book tells you which liturgy is being used.
In a Ming print, a group of monks appears beside the story of an empress who was said to have been reborn as a snake. The opening image illustrates the origin legend associated with the Liang rite. Other liturgies have their own stories, passages and ritual setting.
What the Liturgies Do
A repentance manual can coordinate reading aloud with bodily acts of respect. The participants may recite names of Buddhas, acknowledge transgressions and state vows. Medieval Chinese rites developed into a varied repertoire. By the Song, monks were often leading such observances for lay believers, one of many settings in which Chinese lay Buddhists participated in religious life.[1][5]
Two Repentance Texts and Their Stories
The received Liang Emperor’s text is catalogued as T1909. Its best-known origin story credits Emperor Wu with commissioning the rite for his deceased wife. Earlier catalogue references and the extant ten-fascicle version differ in length. The varying lengths are evidence of a transmission history.[2][4]
The Water Repentance is catalogued as T1910. Its preface connects the rite with a story about Zhixuan and an encounter in which water appears as an agent of purification. The text discusses actions of body and speech among other subjects. The water in the title comes from this tradition. The ritual also includes verbal expressions of remorse and aspiration.[2][3]
There are other liturgies associated with particular figures, such as the Medicine Buddha. The theme and the title help distinguish those rites from the two examples above.[1]
Reading a Ming Frontispiece
A woodblock-printed copy of the Liang ritual at the Met is dated 1615. Its opening image shows monks performing the ritual, while the empress’s spirit leaves the mouth of a python. The page documents how the legend was presented to Ming readers. Its date belongs to this print, which is part of the history of Buddhist woodblock printing.[4]
FAQs About Chinese Buddhist Repentance Rituals
Are the Liang Emperor’s and Water Repentances the same rite?
They are separate liturgies with different received texts and origin stories. Look for the name in the event notice or at the start of the manual.
Can lay Buddhists take part?
Monastics often lead these rites, and lay Buddhists may join where an assembly is open to them. The organization of a specific service depends on the temple.
Does the date 1615 tell us when the Liang rite began?
It dates the Met’s printed copy. Earlier records of the text and its origin legend answer different historical questions.
Sumber
[1] Kai Sheng. Repentance Rituals in Chinese Buddhism
[2] Justin R. Ritzinger. Karma, Charisma, and Community
[3] University of the West Institutional Repository. A Study and Translation of the Compassionate Water Repentance Ritual
[4] The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Sutra of the Repentance Ritual of Great Compassion, Volume 1
[5] University of California eScholarship. The Ritual Manual of the Repentance